Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  Then…

  In a moment, countless fire dragons swallowed Loken, who was without the protection of any magic spells. Although he was a Battle Mage and had the blood of the Savages, these could only help enhance his magic's effect and reduce the damage he'd suffer. These things couldn't give him immunity to spells. The dispersion of the amplifying spells meant that he was reduced to nothing…

  How come there were two spells? In that moment, Loken only had time for one question in his mind. Before he could figure it out, he felt the world spin and was knocked out cold…

  "See that, old fogey? This is the level-12 Battle Mage you were talking about!" Hoffman didn't bother hiding his elation. He laughed uncontrollably as he patted Herza on the shoulder.

  "I must be blind…" Herza admitted generously. There was no embarrassment on his aged face at all. The young mage called Felic was simply too outstanding. Although he had used some low-level spells, he was perfect in terms of his spell-casting skills. Not to mention the Alanna Guild of Magic, even the people from the Supreme Council couldn't have done it better than him.

  Herza sat down, and quietly asked the fatso next to him, "Hoffman, you know this kid?"

  "Heh heh…" Hoffman was extremely pleased with himself, and his c.o.c.ky laughter got even more out of control.

  "Spill it!"

  …

  Chapter 255 - Guarding Against Thieves

  How could Hoffman tell him? A once-in-a-century genius pharmacist like Lin Li would be a highly sought-after individual. Letting another force in on such a talent's identity would mean more competition. Hoffman had never mentioned it, but he was already planning on how he'd bring this young man into the Glittergold Trade Union.

  The potion formula was just a test. As a businessman, he was more adept at beating around the bush and building trust as compared to people like Johnathan and Englos.

  Hoffman was shrewd indeed. After that pharmaceutical discussion event, there were at least a dozen forces vying for Lin Li. But at present, there seemed to be only a hopeful few, and that included Hoffman's Glittergold Trade Union.

  He had gotten into Lin Li's good books with the Book of Ten Thousand Incantations, and had Lin Li owe him a favor with the Dry Soul Curse. If nothing would go wrong, Hoffman believed that the Glittergold Trade Union he represented had the highest chance among all the other forces. It was a 20-year-old potion master they were talking about—it was a matter of time before he broke through the level of a pharmaceutics guru. When the time came, everyone would be at the beck and call of the Glittergold Trade Union!

  Seeing that the opportunity was just within reach, Hoffman held his guard up against Herza.

  Herza represented the Supreme Council. When Felic joined the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, he'd joined the Supreme Council's influence as well at the same time. It was simply too easy for the old man to win Felic over. He'd only need to hand down a transfer order, and all the forces, including the two holy shrines, could only watch as the genius pharmacist entered the Supreme Council.

  F*ck, I'll only tell you over my dead body… Hoffman clenched his teeth determinedly. However, there was perplexion on his face. "How would I know? I'm not from the Guild of Magic, so it's natural that I know nothing about him. Old fellow, don't be so quick to suspect me, alright?"

  "Cut it out…" Herza didn't believe it at all. He knew the fat man too well. He might look honest and candid, but was in fact ill-disposed at best. If there were to be a truthful sentence coming from his mouth, it would be a miracle.

  "This is a trade secret. I can't tell you even if you ask!"

  Hoffman began to act shamelessly. He'd use "trade secret" as an excuse regardless of what Herza asked. There was nothing Herza could do despite being someone who held the highest position in the Supreme Council. The only thing he could do was to glare hatefully at Hoffman and curse, Fine, you won't say? I can f*cking see for myself!

  As the two men were talking, the battle on the Aurora Square was drawing to an end.

  Aldwin stood up from the VIP stand. "The winner for the first round is Felic from the Jarrosus Guild of Magic!"

  "Clap, clap, clap…"

  Applause thundered in the Aurora Square. Thousands of mages stood up one by one to salute the winner with warm applause and cheers.

  In the world of magic, the strong were always respected.

  The mages would never hold back their applause for a real powerhouse.

  The battle was amazing. The young man from Jarrosus had only used low-level spells throughout the battle, but all the mages present were not blind. How could they not know what these low-level spells meant?

  Since the insidious Crystal Nova, everyone knew that the young man's spell-casting skill was no worse than that of many Archmages. Although the elemental structure for the Crystal Nova was simple, it was not easy to rearrange it. Who would dare to risk it without a profound understanding of the essence of magic and a precise control of mana? It was easy to trigger the bite of mana with a single slip. Moreover, he had done it with so much ease; there hadn't been any hesitation at all as the Crystal Nova was released with a lift of his hand.

  Granted, the outcome wasn't too satisfactory…

  However, this had nothing to do with magic. The Battle Mage was an anomaly, let alone a Battle Mage with the blood of the Savages. They possessed an innate brute force and a powerful resistance to magic. Their resistance to magic, in particular, was terribly enhanced after they had cast various amplifying spells on themselves.

  These Battle Mages were said to be able to withstand spells up to level-10 with their b.a.r.e bodies. With this, the three icicles that Loken had received were considered nothing…

  Moreover, the Magic Quell and Flaming Storm that followed were the real highlight of the battle.

  If they were to use an adjective to describe their feelings, it would be "amazed".

  To cast both a level-eight Flaming Storm and a level-five Magic Quell was so difficult that even Archmages would flinch facing such a task. In order to control such a perverse casting skill, it'd need at least years, if not decades, of repeated studies. Only then was it possible to divide one's mental strength to control two kinds of mana at the same time. It seemed easy to release two kinds of spells in this subconscious state, but it was in fact akin to dancing on the tip of the sword. A slight mistake would result in a horrible end for the mage.

  There was no lack of Archmages among the thousands of spectators. However, none of them was confident enough to say that they could display such a perfect casting skill like the young man.

  Nobody thought the applause and salutation were unfitting.

  "Well done, Felic!" Mason was over the moon seeing that his roommate had won with such ease.

  "I just took advantage of the opportunity…" Lin Li giggled, and asked Mason, "When does your round start?"

  "I'm in the third round. Don't worry. Do I not know Larry's strength? It'll be a piece of cake. I'll see if that old man dares to jinx me when I advance to the second stage…"

  "Fool. It's good to be confident, but it's best if you can get a grasp on the situation…"

  Nobody knew when Macklin had come. The old man was like a ghost, appearing behind Mason without any sound.

  "Weren't… weren't you at the VIP stand?"

  "Fool. Felic achieved a splendid victory. As his trial mentor, I have to come over and compliment him. But you, kid, you'd better be cautious. I'm not joking. Larry has improved tremendously ever since he returned from Shadowglen. I'm afraid he's not any weaker than you."

  "For real?" Mason was slightly stunned. The old fellow really did not look like he was kidding. Has Larry really made a tremendous improvement recently? F*ck, why am I so unlucky? I thought I'd picked a weakling; who knew this weakling had gotten a boost!

  "You'll know when the battle starts…" Macklin said gloatingly. Then, he turned his gaze to the Aurora Square. "Eh? Seems like it's Gryffindor's turn now…"

  "Oh?" Lin Li followed M
acklin's gaze, and saw Gryffindor walking to the center of the square with a smile on his face. His opponent was someone Lin Li knew. He was Fedrick, Sarsen's teammate in the Shadowglen, and the one who had wanted to fight Lin Li.

  Lin Li lost interest seeing that Gryffindor was up against Fedrick. That fellow could not be more than level-12 in strength. He was almost like an ant in front of Gryffindor. To figure out Gryffindor's ability in this match was like asking for the moon.

  To be honest, this was what everyone thought—including Fedrick himself.

  He wanted to just drop dead on the spot as he stood before Gryffindor. He had never thought that he'd be so unlucky to have picked Gryffindor in the first round.

  Gryffindor was the number one magic genius in Felan. He had broken through to the Archmage realm in his twenties. Although Fedrick had improved tremendously ever since he'd returned from the Shadowglen, he was only at a mere level-11. How could he possibly win against Gryffindor, who could crush him with just a finger?

  "M-Mage Gryffindor, please go easy on me…" Perhaps only Fedrick knew that this was not merely a conventional remark. He really wanted Gryffindor to go easy on him.

  "Mage Fedrick, you're too humble." Gryffindor chuckled, and said nothing more. He took two steps back and pulled their distance away further. At the same time, he gestured to the referee to indicate that he was ready.

  "Looks like both apprentices are ready. Then, let the match begin!"

  Fedrick began his recitation as soon as the referee's voice fell. His voice was rushed and hoarse. The magical waves around him were in so much disorder that even Lin Li, who hadn't paid much attention to the battle, could feel it. Fedrick was on the verge of suffering a bite of mana. His recitation speed was simply too fast. There was a compression of time in every three characters of the incantation. This was something only an Archmage could do. Fedrick, a Magic Shooter, was only seeking death doing it.

  However, Fedrick had no other choice.

  His strength was worlds apart from Gryffindor's. The only thing he could do was to earn a slight chance for himself with a supernormal spell at the beginning, when they were still on the same starting line.

  Unfortunately, Gryffindor did not give him the chance.

  Fedrick was halfway through his recitation when he suddenly felt the flow of mana in his body being blocked…

  Darn, Mana Retroaction! So soon? Fedrick's heart tightened, and his chubby face turned ghastly white at once. He couldn't understand how Gryffindor had released a Mana Retroaction so soon. There was no sign at all; it was as if the spell was released with just a thought.

  Chapter 256 - Showtime

  There was a great disparity in strength, and with the Mana Retroaction from the start, everything that came afterwards was well within expectations. After the Mana Retroaction, Gryffindor didn't even bother to take another look at his opponent; he raised his hand and released a Flaming Storm. In an instant, numerous fire dragons were seen charging towards Fedrick…

  Fedrick's chubby face was filled with despair in the blaze of fire. It was followed by a loud crash that silenced the entire Aurora Square.

  The mages sitting on the stands were flabbergasted. All these youngsters were too strong. Felic, the young man in the previous round, was ruthless enough. He was only in his twenties and had given all the experienced mages a lesson on spell-casting. And at present, Gryffindor was worse. His battle style was simply unreasonable and brutal. He was destroying the level-11 with his strength. There were neither skills nor tricks, only the most direct attacking spells. The battle could simply be summed up in three words—fast, aggressive, precise.

  "No wonder Orrin couldn't win against him…" Lin Li frowned as he watched Fedrick being carried away from the arena. Gryffindor was strong indeed. Although the match didn't take long and his opponent was weak, Lin Li could see a thing or two from it. At least in terms of mana control, Gryffindor could be said to be on par with him.

  Even Lin Li had to admit the Mana Retroaction was brilliant. It was precise and concealed, without any sign at all. It was like a snake hiding in the grass, dealing the most fatal blow to its prey at the most critical moment.

  As for that Flaming Storm at the end, Lin Li couldn't think of any reason to use it other than to display power.

  As expected, Gryffindor stood in the middle of Aurora Square, but his eyes—full of challenge and disdain—were fixed on Lin Li, who was in the distance.

  "Moron…" Lin Li pursed his lips and spat coarsely on the ground while cursing inwardly. I wonder what this fellow is thinking. I haven't settled the scores with you, yet you're looking at me with those vengeful eyes. Do you really think I owe you?

  "The winner of the second round is Gryffindor from the Alanna Guild of Magic!"

  "Clap, clap, clap…"

  Applause thundered in the square. It was even more deafening than when Lin Li had won.

  "How's that, Hoffman? The young people we've groomed at the Guild of Magic ain't bad at all, eh?" said Herza proudly. The two young men from the previous rounds had taken him by surprise. One had demonstrated a flawless spell-casting technique; the other had brought his strength into full play. At their present age, Herza could assert the future of these two young men to be definitely boundless.

  "So-so…" Hoffman pouted distractedly. He began to doubt his decision to drop Gryffindor and place his bet on Felic.

  The strength displayed by Gryffindor was terrifying. Even a figure like Hoffman couldn't help but lose heart. This little bastard was too inhuman to possess such strength at such a young age. Perhaps in a few years' time, even Hoffman might not be his opponent.

  Hoffman's head began to pound. If he knew things better, he would have done an even more thorough check. The last time he'd seen this little bastard, the latter had been just a level-14 Magic Shooter. How could he become stronger so much in just one month? Not only had he broken through the Archmage realm, but also had shown signs of approaching level-16. Is this how a bloody 20-something-year-old young man should be?

  "Master Felic, it all depends on you now…"

  The third round commenced as Hoffman was muttering to himself. The two contestants for this round were Mason from Chevan City and Larry from Marianna Guild of Magic. Both of them had fought back in the Shadowglen. Larry was just a level-eight mage then; he was still a distance away from Mason, who was the weakest out of his teammates.

  But on this day, he had made it a tough fight for Mason.

  Macklin wasn't kidding. Larry was at least a level-11 Magic Shooter at present. Even if Mason had made a breakthrough recently, they were almost on par nevertheless. The two rivals of equal power naturally made the match an exceptionally drawn-out one. Although it wasn't too exciting, it was still intense.

  This time, Mason had to prove to Macklin that he was not a novice mage anymore. Larry, in contrast, seemed to be naturally good at this kind of battles. Mason was suffering under the various tricks he used. Their clash lasted for half an hour. It was a rare sight in a century of battle of the Magic Shooters. It was fortunate that they were both resilient. Otherwise, the pressure stemming from the exchanges would be sufficient to drive anyone crazy.

  The battle between the two level-11 Magic Shooters was almost like a marathon. In the end, both of them completely exhausted their mana. They could only fight for time to restore their mana while still working their staves in the stalemate. This time, Mason finally gained a slight upper hand. He gathered the wind blade a second faster than Larry; so, he managed to clinch the victory.

  "The winner of the third round is Mage Mason from Chevan City!"

  Mason looked like he was about to collapse as he left the arena. He panted heavily and grumbled, "How… how did Larry, that fellow, become so strong?"

  "How's that? Hope you knew better from the start, right? That kid is different now. You were still thinking that I was trying to fool you. Count yourself lucky this time. He's not that experienced, after all, wasting too much mana in the
beginning. Otherwise, he would've got rid of you easily…"

  Mason was still chided by Macklin despite having won the match. However, he could not refute him. He tried to divert their attention away with the commencement of the fourth round of battle. "Look, it's someone we know!"

  "F*ck!" Lin Li couldn't help but laugh when he saw the two guys who were entering the arena. "Matthias' down on luck, isn't he?"

  "Hahaha, Matthias is dead meat this time!" Mason was obviously taking p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in Matthias' plight.

  Matthias was indeed unlucky. His opponent for this round was someone whose strength was second only to Gryffindor and Lin Li.

  Yes, it was Sarsen…

  The present Sarsen was at the peak of level-14. He was only one step from being an Archmage like Gryffindor and Lin Li. How could Matthias match up to such a strength? It seemed like the Marathon Family's heir was in hot soup this time…

  "Eh?!" Just as he was rejoicing in Matthias' misfortune, Lin Li suddenly sensed something was amiss. Matthias seemed vastly different on this day.

  Matthias no longer looked frivolous like before. He looked tanned and thinner as well. When he kept his eyes fixed on someone, he was as if a snake about to devour its prey. His expression was cast in a constant gloom—just like the weather before a thunderstorm.

  The magical wave emanating from him wasn't strong, but it held an eerie power. It was like a giant vortex spinning crazily without control, attempting to draw everything in and tear it to pieces. The feeling made Lin Li frown.

  He suddenly recalled Argus saying that Matthias had changed tremendously as if he was totally a different person altogether. Lin Li hadn't understood the meaning of it then, but he could see for himself at present. It was right—it felt as if it were a totally different person standing there. Apart from the appearance, every other detail—the disposition and strength—was a far cry from the past Matthias'. If Matthias used to be a dandy, then the present Matthias undoubtedly had the qualities for Lin Li to fear him.